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Leigh set to take on London Marathon for charity

Wakefield College Student Experience Manager, Leigh Allsop, is all set for a gruelling 26 mile run this weekend as he joins thousands of others taking part in the London Marathon. Leigh, 33, will be raising money for the Willow Foundation after they supported him through his diagnosis of cancer 8 years ago.

Leigh was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after discovering a tumour in his neck. Following a gruelling 12 cycles of chemotherapy, which resulted in him losing all his hair, Leigh was finally given the all clear a year later and has since been in remission.

Commenting on why chose to fundraise for the Willow Foundation, Leigh said: “I want to raise money for Willow as they supported me through my diagnosis of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma back in 2007, by setting up a ‘special day’ for me to have an all-expenses paid trip to the FA Cup Final, which included first-class train tickets, a stay at a 5-star hotel in London, a meal at Gary Rhodes’ restaurant, Club Wembley tickets to the game, and chauffeur driven transport to and from the stadium. This really helped to motivate me through my chemotherapy and I hope to support their continued efforts in supporting young adults through their illnesses.”

The last four months have seen Leigh follow a strict training and nutrition plan as his preparation moved up a gear. Leigh is currently running an average of 45-50 miles a week and is hoping to complete the course in under four hours.